finally, a full week at home to reset… and do all the laundry! we had a family staying here while we were away, which always means extra sheets and towels to wash. but luckily we got it all done before the storm and the rain came. the last few days have brought winds and lots of rain, but it felt refreshing. it’s not yet proper cold as we’re still reaching 20C daily, but it feels fresh enough that i’ve already put down the electric blanket on my side of the bed!

other than that, nothing much has happened… just work, and the satisfyingly mundane tasks of taking care of a home. i did backups, tidied up, cooked batches of soup (including this very satisfying dal) and replanted the stuff that the snails and caterpillars ate in our absence.

we saw the french movie à bicyclette in the cine-theater and it was both heavy and hilarious at the same time.

i finished a few books this week! i finished listening to how to be perfect, which made me think about the choices we make in daily life, our decision processes and the values we adhere to. it wasn’t a stuffy book though — instead, all the philosophical bits were interspersed with quirky footnotes, narrated by the actors of the good place and some soundbites from the series too.

i also squeezed in a few short reads to change it up and managed to check out julián is a mermaid (so beautiful!) and the serviceberry, which is so short that i listened to it while cleaning the house and finished it in one go.

my shoulder is still acting up so i’ve been avoiding strenuous stuff, but i did go on a short run with the boy to stretch the legs, preserve my 27-week exercising streak on strava (!) and check out the beautiful cardoons.

the last couple of days, our next door neighbors have had an alarm (smoke detector?) ringing very stridently in their house, and the sound permeates into our house like tinnitus. they don’t live here most of the year, so it took them a bit to find someone to come switch it off after we called them, but they’ve finally done it as i write these words. aaaaaaah, the bliss of quietness! :D